News You Can Use April 2008
Posted by usnl in : News You Can Use, April 2008 Edition , trackbackSpring Course Planning
All students in grades 8 – 11 received The Upper School Course of Study a few weeks before spring break and have completed preliminary course planning sheets requesting course choices for the 2008 – 2009 school year. Throughout the months of April, May and June, the administration and department chairs will finalize Upper School staffing and Sandy Portnoy, the registrar, will build the Upper School schedule based on student requests and staffing decisions for courses. Department chairs and course teachers will review student requests for advanced, AP and/or oversubscribed classes to select students for these courses. Please contact department chairs if you have questions about their departmental selection processes for courses. As the process moves forward this spring, Sandy Portnoy will be in touch with students who need to resolve conflicts and/or select alternative courses to complete their schedules. It is our hope that students will begin summer vacation with their 2008 – 2009 roster completed for September.
Student Leadership Opportunities
Many Upper School leadership positions change throughout April and May. Student elections for Student Council and class officers will take place in April. In order to get on the ballot for either position, students need to fill out and return a petition form to Travis Larrabee, dean of students, no later than the Monday preceding the election (elections are April 9 for student council and April 16 for class officers). Petition forms are available on the student message board or from the dean of students. Speeches are required; the elections will immediately follow the speeches. The grade advisors will count the ballots and the results will be posted the following day.
Encourage your son or daughter to get involved in extracurricular areas that are of interest to him or her. Please remember, however, that Upper School students are permitted to hold only one major leadership position per year, so that as many students as possible may experience official leadership roles at Penn Charter. If you have any questions about the various options available to students and/or the process used to select student leaders, please contact Travis Larrabee.
Completing Activity Requirements Reminders for the 2007-08 School Year
The Upper School activity credit requirements underscore the belief that extensive involvement in the life of the school is an integral part of a student’s Penn Charter education. All students in grades 9 through 12 are required to participate in one sport per year. All students are also required to participate in a second activity, which could be a second sport or a 40-hour activity. Failure to fulfill these requirements is serious. Returning students who do not fulfill their activity requirement will have them automatically added to their activities requirement the next year (and they will not be eligible for privileges; please see page 17 of the Student Handbook). Seniors who do not fulfill their activity requirement will have to complete the work over the summer and will not receive a diploma at graduation (because graduation requirements have not been met).
Most students have little difficulty meeting the activity requirement. The sport and 40-hour activities are listed on pages 19 to 25 of the Student Handbook. If you have any questions about the status of your child in any of the activities (e.g., how many hours left?), please call the 40-hour advisor listed in the Handbook or one of the athletic directors (for sports). If you have general questions about the activity requirement, please call Travis Larrabee, dean of students.
Summer Reading Book Swap
The Upper School parent community is sponsoring a summer reading book swap. Planned and organized by Jennifer McGoldrick (mother to Eliza, Class of 2011), the idea is to let students share with each other books that they have read from the summer reading list. Students will hand in their books to their English teachers for a ticket. The collected books will be arranged in the library so students can browse through them and take one in exchange for their ticket. The idea is to get students to not only share books with each other but also to talk about the books they have read in the past. The summer reading list will be made public on May 12, so students are meant to bring in their books after that date. If anyone wants to bring a book in earlier, they should bring it directly to Jesse Dougherty, the chair of the English department, in the humanities office on the first floor of the main building. The book swap will occur from May 28 through May 30 in the back of the Gummere library. The more participants the better, so please bring in your books. If you have questions or would like to offer your help, please contact Jennifer McGoldrick or Jesse Dougherty.
Selling Used Books
One of the advantages to purchasing your textbooks through MBS is the option to sell the books back after your student has finished the course. MBS will buy back any book that they can resell at approximately 25 percent of the retail price. The books must have been purchased through MBS. Books will not be accepted with the following conditions:
- Stains of any sort
- Disfigurement due to water/fluid exposure
- Missing, torn or loose pages/cover
- Excessive writing, marking or highlighting
- Broken spine/binding
If you wish to sell your books back, go to http://direct.mbsbooks.com/ penncharter.htm and click on “Sell Books.” You can also go to the MBS site through Penn Charter’s website. You will need to have the books with you so that you can type in the book’s ISBN number. MBS will provide a return label for free shipping and will mail you a check when the books are accepted. Please contact Hal Davidow in the business office if you have further questions.
Teacher Requests for 2008 - 2009
As we enter into the scheduling process for next year, please understand that we would be happy to discuss your child’s academic progress this year and your perceptions of what types of teaching styles might best fit your son or daughter’s learning needs. However, we are unable to honor specific teacher requests from parents. (Asking that your child not have a certain teacher also is viewed as one of those requests we cannot keep!) While you act as your child’s advocate, please recognize that we must put together the best academic program possible for approximately 440 students in the Upper School.
Student schedules and class lists are closely reviewed by department chairs, Sandy Portnoy and Beth Glascott to ensure that we are creating the best learning environment possible for all of the students in the Upper School. If you would like to further discuss your child’s specific learning needs and what type of classroom environment might further enhance his or her learning, please e-mail or call Beth Glascott.
Summer Planning Information for Fall Athletes & Families
Fall sports practices for varsity and junior varsity will begin August 21, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. On the first day, all teams except cross country will practice twice, in the morning and afternoon. Athletes should bring a lunch and plan to be at Penn Charter until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. Fall sports include cross country (boys & girls), field hockey, football, soccer (boys and girls), tennis (girls), and water polo (boys and girls).
All students in grades 9 – 12 are encouraged to participate in preseason practice. The initial practices are seen as tryouts, and selections for varsity and junior varsity will be announced during preseason. In situations where the preseason schedule creates a hardship for a family, the parents are asked to call the athletic department office and/or the head coach of that sport. In past years, special considerations have been made, especially pertaining to ninth graders or students who are new to Penn Charter. Students who cannot make preseason practice will be placed on the junior varsity team and will join practices starting on the first day of school. Parents and athletes are encouraged to contact the athletic department office with questions about the preseason practice schedule.
Varsity and junior varsity teams are provided for all fall sports. Varsity and JV teams practice together for boys and girls cross country, field hockey, football, tennis, and boys and girls water polo. Boys and girls varsity and junior varsity soccer practice as four separate teams.
Coaches for fall sports will provide more detailed information in August. The following is a list of coaches and their contact information.
Boys Cross Country - TBA
Girls Cross Country
Jim Ballengee
(215) 247-7435
jballengee@penncharter.com
Field Hockey
Natasha Pronga
(610) 368-8634
npronga@penncharter.com
Football
Jeff Humble
(267) 664-6412
jhumble@penncharter.com
Boys Soccer
Robert DiBenedetto
(215) 669-0339
yobobbyd@aol.com
Girls Soccer
Eddie Mensah
(215) 432-0867
emensah@tsf.org
Girls Tennis
Rose Weinstein
(610) 265-7440 prefers phone calls
Boys Water Polo
Charlie Brown
(215) 884-3735
cbrown@penncharter.com
Girls Water Polo
Diana Caramanico
(215) 378-1101
dcaramanico@penncharter.com
For any questions regarding the Upper School athletic program, please contact Paul Butler, Director of Athletics, or Tori Small, Director of Girls Athletics.
Out-of-School Sport or Activity Credit for the 2008-09 School Year
In very rare circumstances, Penn Charter will waive all or part of the activity requirement for students who have demonstrated interests so specialized and talents so extraordinary that they cannot be maintained within the context of our program. Weight is given to the requests of older students. In every case, exemptions of any kind are rare. Our goal is to help students find meaningful ways to stay involved in the school, and students and parents will find Penn Charter’s offerings varied and our programs flexible. Decisions on exemption requests for the current school year have already been made. Proposal forms and instructions for the 2008-09 school year may be obtained from the dean of students. Completed proposals for exemption are due no later than August 1, 2008.